5 ms·

“Cool” but the fact there are no dead zones, and lots of spots where a pixel or two nudge (easy to do by accident) means you’re clicking a different link than t

by alanh 16y ago

“Cool” but the fact there are no dead zones, and lots of spots where a pixel or two nudge (easy to do by accident) means you’re clicking a different link than the one you were about to a pixel ago, give me great pause. (And of course this would be more “useful” as an extension or userscript than bookmarklet; clicking a bookmarklet to lazy-click links is a weak value proposition, naturally.)

Groxx 16y ago
That's the massive downside to every implementation of bubble cursors / something similar I've yet seen. I'll label them "naive" implementations, because they're so mindlessly implemented: it selects the nearest clickable item, with no respect for any relation to movement or chaotic spots where you can select different things with single pixel movements. Though I do see that this could be useful once they're more polished. I just don't get why everyone's drinking the same implementation kool-aid, rather than seeking to improve on it.
- Stuk 16y ago
  Hi, I just put this together quickly to see what it feels like when used on a web page rather than an artificial environment, it wasn't intended as a fully featured interaction method. In fact even while playing around with it myself I found it frustrating that I couldn't click anywhere without following a link, and you're right that the implementation is very naive. This was just a bit of fun which I wanted to put out there. Hopefully that explains why it isn't perfect :)
  - Groxx 16y ago
    Wasn't a rant against your implementation, just that every one I've seen is a mirror image of the others, with only one variable: whether your pointer determines an edge of the circle - thereby making it harder to determine where it'll jump to - or it determines the center of the circle - making it harder to aim. There's gotta be a better way, because the concept is excellent.
astrofinch 16y ago
What if the color of the selection box around the link changed according to how fast your mouse was moving and how far it would have to move before a different link was selected?
Stuk 16y ago
Hi, as I said to Groxx, this was just a quick hack, hopefully nothing to take too seriously. There are definitely improvements that could be made, for example looking at the direction of travel, and if someone wants to try implementing them I would love to see it! (And yep, for full time use another method of getting it on to the page would be far superior. I felt like a bookmarklet was the most frictionless way to try it out personally, and to get others to give it a go as well) Thanks for the feedback!

by alanh 16y ago

Groxx 16y ago

That's the massive downside to every implementation of bubble cursors / something similar I've yet seen. I'll label them "naive" implementations, because they're so mindlessly implemented: it selects the nearest clickable item, with no respect for any relation to movement or chaotic spots where you can select different things with single pixel movements. Though I do see that this could be useful once they're more polished. I just don't get why everyone's drinking the same implementation kool-aid, rather than seeking to improve on it.

Stuk 16y ago
Hi, I just put this together quickly to see what it feels like when used on a web page rather than an artificial environment, it wasn't intended as a fully featured interaction method. In fact even while playing around with it myself I found it frustrating that I couldn't click anywhere without following a link, and you're right that the implementation is very naive. This was just a bit of fun which I wanted to put out there. Hopefully that explains why it isn't perfect :)
- Groxx 16y ago
  Wasn't a rant against your implementation, just that every one I've seen is a mirror image of the others, with only one variable: whether your pointer determines an edge of the circle - thereby making it harder to determine where it'll jump to - or it determines the center of the circle - making it harder to aim. There's gotta be a better way, because the concept is excellent.

astrofinch 16y ago

What if the color of the selection box around the link changed according to how fast your mouse was moving and how far it would have to move before a different link was selected?

Stuk 16y ago

Hi, as I said to Groxx, this was just a quick hack, hopefully nothing to take too seriously. There are definitely improvements that could be made, for example looking at the direction of travel, and if someone wants to try implementing them I would love to see it! (And yep, for full time use another method of getting it on to the page would be far superior. I felt like a bookmarklet was the most frictionless way to try it out personally, and to get others to give it a go as well) Thanks for the feedback!